*Disclosure: I received a free Jeweled Secrets vanilla candle in exchange for writing a review, but all views are completely my own.

With Mother’s Day around the corner, you’re probably in full gift-search mode. Personally, unless there’s a dachshund on it my mom is pretty hard to please. But one thing that’s universal to all moms is pretty scents and shiny things. So when I got the opportunity to check out the Jeweled Secrets candles, which a) smell amazing and b) have a super pretty surprise inside, I was definitely on board.

I got to test drive my candle on a dreary rainy day, and my whole office smelled so lovely. Never heard of the candles before? Here’s how it works. You get to choose from three different scents, Vanilla Velvet, Raspberry Sherbet, and Maple Sugar.

Once you burn it, you’ll find a .925 Sterling silver ring valued up to $5000 inside each candle. All the rings are different, so it’s like a present inside a present.

The candles would make amazing Mother’s Day gifts, so you can give a thoughtful AND fun present. Get yours on their website here – and guess what? As a special perk, Party Girls get a $10 discount when they use the promo code partygirl10, valid until the end of May (in case you’re a little behind in your Mother’s Day shopping).

A little DIY project perfect for adding some holiday scents to your home decor this season!

We’ve been working on a custom Party Box for a holiday party this Friday night and there have been a lot of really pretty details (if I do say so myself) that we are just dying to share. But this one is a quick and easy DIY that I promise is going to make your holidays that much brighter, so we felt obligated to share!

I love candles, especially scented ones. And I love the way they look flickering in dim light, against wood and golds…like a rustic winter (self-righteously not even trying to be subtle about our Party theme this weekend, no will power at all). ANYWAYS, I saw these gorgeous vanilla scented candles at Michaels on sale for an outrageously low price, and happened upon some of these cinnamon sticks (which, fun fact, aren’t actually called that, weird) and decided not only would these smell phenom BUT they’d look great on our rustic table, almost as great as on YOUR table. Here’s how to make your own:

All you really need for this project is some candles, cinnamon sticks (which are apparently called “holiday twigs” at Michaels so) a glue gun and some twine or ribbon. I chose twine because of my whole rustic look, but some pretty ribbon would work just as well!

For your first stick, pick one that has a relatively flat side. This is easier said then done, but you’ll get creative with your gluing as you go around the candle because sadly, cinnamon sticks (sorry “holiday twigs”) aren’t perfect, and that means the full stick won’t touch the candle. It’s fun. If you start with the best stick you’ve got, it makes it easier to fit the rest beside it, stick by stick.

If you have large gaps between your stick and candle, put the tip of your glue gun as close to the gap as possible and fill the empty space with glue. The magic of a glue gun is that it dries fast enough that you can create an inch or so of space filling adhesive 🙂

Once you have all the sticks glued, secure with your twine (or ribbon). I tied a little bow because I’m adorable. Let it sit for a little while, about 20 minutes, before you move it, just while the glue bonds. And you’re good to go!

I’m sure you know this but don’t leave candles burning unattended. I haven’t noticed any issues with burning this one so far but obviously the cinnamon sticks don’t melt with the candle, so I’m a bit extra cautious in the unlikely event the flame catches the cinnamon stick on fire. It seems pretty safe though, I’m about 3/4 through my candle (thankfully I bought extras since I’m greedily abusing them) and we’ve been fire-free.

Paired with a vanilla candle it’s probably the most holiday-scented thing you’ll find all season long, and it’s pretty too! Happy holidays!